Montreal Canadiens

[ericdaoust]

Regarding Holloway and Barberio, I like the signings. They might not had much impact at all but at least there's a bit of hope that they can offer more than we expect.

[ericdaoust]

Christian Thomas was re-signed to a two-way contract.

[ericdaoust]

Write-up on Daniel Carr:

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/news/...s-to-gallagher

[evans334]

I saw Bergevin jogging down in St .Henri yesterday. He stopped, pulled out his phone and read something then looked up at the sky and sighed audibly.

I don't think negotiations with Galchenyuk are going well.

[MarmotKing]

I saw Bergevin jogging down in St .Henri yesterday. He stopped, pulled out his phone and read something then looked up at the sky and sighed audibly.

I don't think negotiations with Galchenyuk are going well.

Maybe he was just looking at his pace and sad he was having a bad run?

[Savvy1982]

I saw Bergevin jogging down in St .Henri yesterday. He stopped, pulled out his phone and read something then looked up at the sky and sighed audibly.

I don't think negotiations with Galchenyuk are going well.

Or his beloved goldfish, Mr. Bubbles had to be put down.

You might be reading just a tad too much into this....

[ericdaoust]

He probably owns Jason Pierre-Paul in his NFL keeper league.

[ericdaoust]

For those that didn't see it with the weekend and all, Pacioretty is out 3 months with a knee injury.

[newfcollins]

Mid-summer boredom, so I'm going to get the topic rolling.

I've been speaking to a few Habs fans I know, but has everyone else been underwhelmed by Bergevin? Not just this season, but total? Or is it just me and my buddies? The core of this team is still due to his predecessors. He's hired a coach that every Habs fan seems to hate. He hasn't been able to address the team's biggest need of getting a top-six forward. His signings haven't been great (Briere, Moen, trying to sign Vinnie L., etc.). He never signed Subban to the long-term deal instead of that stupid bridge deal, which now costs us a lot more in cap space.

He's great at trading for that third and fourth-line talent, but that's been about it. It's been three years now, and he hasn't really made a big mark on this team.

[ericdaoust]

Mid-summer boredom, so I'm going to get the topic rolling.

I've been speaking to a few Habs fans I know, but has everyone else been underwhelmed by Bergevin? Not just this season, but total? Or is it just me and my buddies? The core of this team is still due to his predecessors. He's hired a coach that every Habs fan seems to hate. He hasn't been able to address the team's biggest need of getting a top-six forward. His signings haven't been great (Briere, Moen, trying to sign Vinnie L., etc.). He never signed Subban to the long-term deal instead of that stupid bridge deal, which now costs us a lot more in cap space.

He's great at trading for that third and fourth-line talent, but that's been about it. It's been three years now, and he hasn't really made a big mark on this team.

I don't share that view on Bergevin. Sure a lot of the current players were acquired by the previous regimes but he steered them in the right direction. They were sputtering and awful under Gainey/Gauthier. The big turnaround doesn't happen by accident. Bergevin had a hand in that.

With that said, whatever happens this upcoming year is on him, good or bad. The team is very good but has some glaring needs that won't be solved internally.

[newfcollins]

I don't share that view on Bergevin. Sure a lot of the current players were acquired by the previous regimes but he steered them in the right direction. They were sputtering and awful under Gainey/Gauthier. The big turnaround doesn't happen by accident. Bergevin had a hand in that.

With that said, whatever happens this upcoming year is on him, good or bad. The team is very good but has some glaring needs that won't be solved internally.

But what did he do to turn this culture around? I'm just not seeing it. Yes, the season of Gainey/Gauthier in 2011-12 was bad, but in the three seasons before that, the Habs finished second, fourth and second and went to the semifinals one year. That team's success came because they couldn't score, but would ride hot goalies who were expected to save everything. Now, in three years of Bergevin, the Habs have finished first, third and first, and went to the semifinals one year. But the team still has trouble scoring, and counts on hot goalies to save everything.

Any success we have had is because of players Bergevin had no part of bringing in (Subban, Markov, Price, Pacioretty, Pleks, Desharnais, Gallagher, etc.). It's feeling like we've seen this story before, and absolutely nothing has changed.

[ericdaoust]

But what did he do to turn this culture around? I'm just not seeing it. Yes, the season of Gainey/Gauthier in 2011-12 was bad, but in the three seasons before that, the Habs finished second, fourth and second and went to the semifinals one year. That team's success came because they couldn't score, but would ride hot goalies who were expected to save everything. Now, in three years of Bergevin, the Habs have finished first, third and first, and went to the semifinals one year. But the team still has trouble scoring, and counts on hot goalies to save everything.

Any success we have had is because of players Bergevin had no part of bringing in (Subban, Markov, Price, Pacioretty, Pleks, Desharnais, Gallagher, etc.). It's feeling like we've seen this story before, and absolutely nothing has changed.

Under the old regime that Habs had a tendency to take on everyone else's trash. Gomez, Bourque, Kaberle, etc. Bergevin stopped that and when he screws up it's on a smaller scale. If anything he's doing a good job of allowing the Subban/Pacioretty types to lead the way. Not as much garbage in the way bogging things down.

[Potatoeman]

He's hired a coach that every Habs fan seems to hate.

But he speaks French!!!

[ross10019]

Agree, and in that same vein, Bergevin's greatest contribution is also the aspect that most would have predicted - he is an excellent judge of talent and evaluator of players. It was his strength in Chicago and he was a major contributor to their success. So what that means is, in addition to not taking other team's crap (because he knows enough to know which current pros are worth it and which are going to be busts), he's also able to support the draft team in bringing in solid prospects. He's also managed to pull off some great signings, like Pacioretty and Gallagher. And he's not afraid to make a deadline deal or to sign a big free agent IF IT MAKES SENSE, and he has close ties with Chicago and Florida (Tallon) that will allow us to make solid deals with those teams going fwd (although it didn't get us Sharp, I don't think there was a deal there to be had because the Hawks wouldn't retain salary).

I think his next move is bringing in some scoring punch for next year, but while the window is somewhat open now, Bergevin knows the real window will be in a year or so when Galchenyuk finally rises to the levels that the team is expecting - Galchy is a huge key to the whole process, if he busts or underwhelms, that hurts us huge in terms of Cup contention. If he excels, now the Habs are a whole other team. I know hockey is never about one player, but with superstars like Price, Subban and even Pacioretty, and a very good supporting cast (especially on D), the emergence of Galchenyuk, in my opinion, is what will put the Habs over the top.

Which brings up the next point, Bergevin will be judged (fairly) on the contract he signs with Galchenyuk. We'll see if he goes the Saad route and skips the bridge, or if he does the same thing he did with Subban. I'm thinking the right move is to go the Saad route, eliminate the distraction, and let the kid just play and evolve - despite off-putting rumors regarding bad influence of his family, I think Galchy has enough heart and soul that he will not glide after signing a big contract, but will shoulder the responsibility.

Under the old regime that Habs had a tendency to take on everyone else's trash. Gomez, Bourque, Kaberle, etc. Bergevin stopped that and when he screws up it's on a smaller scale. If anything he's doing a good job of allowing the Subban/Pacioretty types to lead the way. Not as much garbage in the way bogging things down.

[ericdaoust]

Habs sign UDFA Ryan Johnston.

http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=774703